Some time the best thing about a salad is all the stuff OTHER THAN the lettuce. So this one takes out the lettuce and leaves all the good stuff leaving you with a perfect serving of delicious veggies. If you don’t have Greek vinaigrette around the house, use any vinaigrette and add a splash of lemon and some oregano.
Greek Veggie Salad
4 servings
164 calories per serving
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 medium cucumber sliced
½ c kalamata olives
½ c low fat Greek vinaigrette dressing
¼ c low fat crumbled feta cheese
Mix veggies and add dressing and toss to mix well.
Even my young teenage nephew liked this one ! So it’s kid approved 🙂 Lotsa flavor, lotsa veggies, and a great side to just about anything.
Corn Salad
7 servings
140 calories per serving
Dressing:
¼ c oil
1 T chopped parsley
3 T rice vinegar
1 T soy sauce
½ t crushed red pepper
Salad:
1 lb. frozen corn
¼ c shredded carrots
¼ c sliced radishes
¼ c sliced green onions (green part only)
Combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate. Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook corn 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool then pat dry and add to all the rest of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours so flavors mix.
I bet this gets your kids eating their green beans ! And maybe even asking for more 🙂 Cheese, sauce, stuffing – what’s not to like?!?!
Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
14 servings
157 calories per serving
2 16 oz. packages frozen French cut green beans, thawed
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. Velveeta, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 1/2 c hot water
1/4 c butter
8 oz. stuffing mix (I like Stove Top)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix beans and soup and place in a baking dish then top with cheese. Mix water and butter and melt butter all the way. Stir into stuffing and then spoon that over the casserole. Bake 40 minutes.
The honey, orange and vanilla make a great glaze – just sweet enough without being too sweet. Serve these next to any dish for a colorful and fun carrot recipe.
Buttery Carrots
4 servings
81 calories per serving
2 c diagonally cut carrots
½ c water
2 T honey
1 T light butter
1 t grated orange zest
¼ t vanilla
1/8 t salt
Place carrots and water in a pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes. Drain and return to pan and add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook 1-2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a glaze.
When you’re in the mood for a spicy patty on a bun try a veggie patty instead of meat once in a while. Black bean burgers have always been a favorite of mine – now I have an alternate….garbanzo burgers. At only 56 calories, add a 100 calorie bun and have two 🙂
Garbanzo Burgers
4 servings
56 calories per serving
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (also called chick peas or cece beans), rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile pepper, seeded and minced
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T tahini paste (a sesame seed paste much like peanut butter is a peanut paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
Place garbanzos, peppers, carrots, garlic, red chile pepper, cilantro, tahini, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are mixed evenly. If the mix is too dry, add a few drops of water. Refrigerate the mix 1.2 hour or more.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Make 4 burgers out of the bean mix and place on sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flip and cook another 10 minutes. You can also fry these in a medium skillet sprayed with Pam.
This is such a hearty vegetable dish ! The potatoes, parsnips and carrots really satisfy. Serve next to just about anything for a great serving of vegetables.
Vegetable Gratin
4 servings
251 calories per serving
Pam
2 t oil
1 lb. onions, thinly sliced
1/3 c skim milk
1 T cornstarch
1 c fat free chicken broth
¼ t pepper
Salt to taste
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
1 t parsley flakes
¼ t thyme
1 lb. red potatoes cut in 1 inch chunks
6 stalks celery, cut in 1 inch chunks
½ lb. parsnips, sliced
½ lb. carrots, sliced
Spray skillet with Pam, add oil and heat on medium high. Cook onions 25 minutes to caramelize and brown the onions. Add a tablespoon or more of hot water along the way if the onions start to dry out too much. Whisk milk and cornstarch and add to onion skillet along with broth, pepper and thyme. Heat on medium high heat and boil for 1 minute stirring continuously.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine potatoes, celery, parsnips and carrots. Stir in onion mix and spices/herbs and turn all into a 3 quart baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes then remove cover and bake another 15 minutes, until golden and tender.
I love side dishes the combine a carb with veggies – it’s one less dish to have to prepare. And this one has orzo, which is one of my most favorite small pastas. It’s a perfect side dish !
Mushroom and Zucchini Orzo
4 servings
197 calories per serving
1 c uncooked orzo
Pam
1 c mushrooms, chopped
1 c zucchini, diced
T butter
½ t garlic powder
1/2 t oregano flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat skillet and spray with Pam. Saute mushrooms and zucchini 6-8 minutes. Mix pasta, mushroom mix, butter and spices.
This side dish is great next to just about anything ! The flavor is mild and subtle, so it will go well with just about any meal, not just Asian dishes. And for only 83 calories, it’s a smart side.
Snow Peas and Mushrooms
4 servings
83 calories per serving
1 T sesame seeds, toasted
1 T olive oil
1/2 lb. snow peas
4 oz. mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 T teriyaki sauce
Toast sesame seeds by place in a hot dry skillet for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Heat oil and sauté snow peas and mushrooms 4 minutes. Stir in teriyaki and sesame seeds.
The Morningstar Farms sausage links are made out of all veggies – the consistency is not quite there, but the sausage flavor is AWESOME. When placed on a nice big roll and smothered in peppers and onions, you don’t even realize that you are not eating real sausage ! This is a great way to still have one of your favorites but have a guilt free version.
'Sausage' and Pepper Sandwich
1 serving
375 calories per serving
4 bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water
1 link Morningstar sausage heated according to package instructions
1 small club roll
Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.
Place sausage on roll and top with peppers and onions.
What a great way to serve broccoli ! Just a little bit of crunch from the topping, creaminess from the soup and cheese – – all over a great broccoli dish full of vitamins and fiber.
Broccoli Casserole with Cheese
7 servings
81 calories per serving
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
2 t lemon juice
½ c crushed seasoned stuffing
1 T low fat margarine, melted
¼ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put broccoli in an 8 inch square baking dish sprayed with Pam. Mix soup and juice and pour over the broccoli then mix stuffing crumbs and margarine and sprinkle over the casserole. Cover and bake 30 minutes then uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
